Political scientists who study Congress have most often assumed that the primary motivation for incumbent members of Congress is...
Group of answer choices
acquiring personal wealth
winning reelection
none of these
making good public policy
An explanation for the tendency of the president's party to lose seats in Congress in midterm elections is the theory of ...
Group of answer choices
shock and awe
projection
surge and decline
dealignment
Which of the following statements are true about money donated directly to a political candidate's campaign committee. Check those that apply.
Group of answer choices
This is called hard money.
Such contributions are limited by law.
This is called soft money.
Such contributions do not need to be reported.
What is the federal limit on how much money an individual citizen (not a committee, but one individual) can contribute directly to a particular candidate in the 2022 general election?
Group of answer choices
$290
$120,900
$2900
No limit
Which of the following statements is/are true about a group that is registered for tax purposes as a non-profit organization (e.g., 501(c) in the IRS tax code), spends money on political advocacy, but does not disclose the donors who contributed to the group? Check those that apply.
Group of answer choices
There are no limits on how much money the group can collect in the 2022 election cycle.
This is an example of a dark money group.
This group is breaking the campaign finance law by failing to disclose its donors..
This group cannot coordinate its expenditures with a candidate's campaign.
When repeated mass media coverage of a political issue makes that particular issue more salient (i.e., more important) to individuals in forming political judgments, this is called...
Group of answer choices
projection
priming
pre-empting
propaganda
The Columbia studies of election campaigns in the 1940s found that individuals tended to select political information that...
Group of answer choices
caused them to change their vote choice at the last minute
contradicted their own political pre-dispositions and beliefs
presented both sides of an issue
reinforced their own political pre-dispositions and beliefs
When a news media story emphasizes certain aspects of an issue and de-emphasizes other aspects, this is called...
Group of answer choices
framing
projection
agenda-setting
pre-empting
Members of the U.S. Congress win reelection at high rates. Explain at least two reasons for the incumbency advantage in congressional elections.
Discuss at least two negative effects of gerrymandering on the representativeness or fairness of our electoral system.
Explain how congressional elections may be influenced by both local and national issues, making reference to the "strategic politicians" argument
Survey data reveal that Americans' trust in media has declined over time. What factors might explain the American public's declining trust in media, particularly among Republicans?
Briefly discuss the arguments for and against placing term limits on elected officials, particularly members of Congress.
Early studies of media coverage during political campaigns concluded that media had minimal effects on voters. Explain why they reached this conclusion.
How has the U.S. Supreme Court's Citizens United decision changed the campaign finance environment since 2010? What kinds of fundraising activity has become more (or less) common than before?
Explain how political parties differ from interest groups.
